Special Olympics Colorado will hold virtual summer games

The Covid-19 pandemic has put a limit on large gatherings, but Special Olympics Colorado has found a safe way for athletes to compete.

They will be hosting virtual games.

Special Olympics Colorado was originally cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, but organizers still wanted to find a way for athletes to showcase their hard work.

In these virtual games there will still be the opening ceremonies, a victory dance and of course, the events, but it will all be done in the comfort of their own homes.

Athletes will get to compete in a variety of sports, with a different sport happening each day of the week and each sport will have a unique challenge for athletes to compete in.

"So as an example, swimming challenges would be doing the flutter kick. What athletes will do on the day of that competition is they will submit the results of how they did in each of those challenges online. We will award winners, give out medals, certificates etc. that evening," says President & CEO of Special Olympics Colorado, Megan Scremin.

"Being able to compete with my fellow athletes is going to be super fun, even though it's not in person. But we're just going to keep having fun, so I'm super excited," says Female Athlete of the Year, Mackenzie Beauvais-Nikl.

The games will start on Sunday, June 21st with the opening ceremonies starting at 6:30 pm. The competition will run from Monday June 22nd through Friday June 26th. Special guest speakers include some Denver Broncos players, Colorado Rockies players and CMU President Tim Foster.

There will also be activities, including the daily highlight show that viewers can watch every day at 7 pm. For more information about how to sign up an athlete, visit www.specialolympicsco.org/virtualsummergames

The games will be available for everyone to watch on the Special Olympics Colorado YouTube channel and on their Facebook page.